


More than words (is all you have to do to make it real)

by kkocheoreom



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: M/M, Romance, baekhyun's here too, mention of pcy ahe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-03
Updated: 2017-09-03
Packaged: 2018-12-23 08:41:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,102
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11986248
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kkocheoreom/pseuds/kkocheoreom
Summary: Prompt: By chance, Princes Sehun and Jongin get stranded at a supermarket in the middle of a storm. The only other people there are the cashier, Jongdae, who never shuts up; and Kyungsoo, who only wanted a cup of instant ramen.Word Count: 9.1K





	More than words (is all you have to do to make it real)

**Author's Note:**

> hello n___n to the prompter: thank you for this prompt. the moment i had seen it, i told myself it's going to be mine and here i am! also, sorry if this doesn't meet your standard ;A; it is my first time to join a fic fest, as well as writing sechen, so i had to look around for sechen interactions @_@7
> 
> i'd like to thank my friends (mutuals n irl) for encouraging me to write, since i'm not confident w/ my writing skills ;0; especially L and C, to whom i have released some of my frustrations because i nearly dropped this BUT i chose not to because this is a challenge i have accepted.
> 
> thank u also to the mods, for making this fic fest happen! maybe if i didn't write, i'd still enjoy reading bcs royalty!au is life!! i really like royalty!au the most and it really intensified when exo wears those outfits from 170114 [screaming and more screaming] ANYWAY enough blabbering, i hope you enjoy! n__n

Do Kyungsoo never liked the hierarchy. He moved away from the television stuck on a wall. He thought all the luxury the royal family had was bull, because why can't anyone have it, too?

 

The midnight news was reporting about the royal family's new castle wing, which has nothing to do with the country's population at all. It was a new entertainment wing for the two bachelor princes, Oh Sehun and his cousin Kim Jongin. Kyungsoo didn't care, though, and started to sort the papers in his desk.

 

Outside, it was cold. October has come unto them, heartless and unforgiving with the wind that swept. Leaves were also all over the place, which annoyed Kyungsoo to no end. Everything has annoyed Kyungsoo ever since he moved alone to a condominium unit close to his university.

 

He focused on papers on his desk instead, which were newspapers that contained articles about the royal family. He was trying to summarize the previous articles into a coherent one, to be submitted tomorrow; or this morning, because it is already past midnight.

 

The university student decided that he needed something to wake him up, but he isn't a coffee person. Something spicy would suffice, and so he stood up and rummaged through his cupboard, feeling the dusty wood for that distinct red cup of ramen. His hands found nothing but dust, and he sighed and clapped his hands together to remove the accumulated dust.

 

He must've missed doing the grocery yesterday after spending the whole day at the library.

 

He picked up his wallet and wore his black jacket, pulling the hoodie over his head. He locked the door of his unit and walked over to the elevator, which was five units away from him. There was a *ding!* and the elevator doors opened to him. Kyungsoo pressed the ground floor button.

 

While it took him seven floors down to reach the lobby, he thought of the additional necessities to buy at the convenience store, besides his ramen fix. The elevator made another sound, signaling that Kyungsoo has reached the lobby.

 

The walk to the convenience store was short, because it was luckily on the same building as his unit. The guy who works there knows him well, and goes by the name Kim Jongdae. They could be going by the same age, but this Jongdae won't tell Kyungsoo his real age, even if the emotion-void man of Unit 812 nagged him. And Kyungsoo rarely nagged people.

 

The university student noticed that there were suspicious looking people outside the store, though he probably looked more suspicious than them as they eyed him with precaution. Two guys were wearing smart casual clothes, had accessories like a pistol at their belts, and communication bugs on their ears. Was there something going on?

 

"Hey, Kyungsoo! What's up?" Jongdae greeted Kyungsoo as he went in the store. The employee was at the counter, probably doing nothing and staring at people who came and went. He was a little bit taller than Kyungsoo, his blonde hair a sore thumb in the counter filled with dark colored condoms and cigarettes they had probably tasted before in high school.

 

"Jongdae," Kyungsoo acknowledged, bowing his head. He scurried to find a basket and went around the store to pick up his necessities. In one aisle, he noticed two guys guffawing at bandages. Weird.

 

Kyungsoo continued, searching for thoroughly for his favorite ramen. The two guys were suddenly next to him, carrying a basket with gloves, bandages with a floral design, and two Tic Tacs. Not that Kyungsoo really had time to eye what they were buying. He finally saw the brand he was looking for and dropped ten packets into his cart.

 

"Hyung, let's buy ramen, too!" The guy beside him giddily told his companion. They both had tall physique, brown hair, wearing smart casual clothes. The difference was just that the one nearest to Kyungsoo had a fair complexion, and the other one had a slightly bronze skin, and had a darker brown hair. They both look fairly familiar to Kyungsoo, but he can’t place names on them.

 

"Shut it, Sehun, your mother would be furious if that cancerous meal entered your stomach," his companion replied. Kyungsoo's ears perked up at the mention of Sehun's name. _Sehun, as in the Prince? Then that means his companion is none other than Prince Jongin?_ He knows that the two princes are really inseparable, like yin and yang, or a television and its remote. The two princes are really close, especially that they are related to each other.

 

"Oh please, I'll just tell Mother that it’s for Chanyeol. After all, we're buying him a 'thank you' gift, aren't we?"

 

"Fine. But my hands are clean, I'm not responsible for this!" The bronze-skinned guy crossed his arms and looked at everywhere but his companion.

 

"Yes!" The guy pumped his fists in the air. He noticed Kyungsoo was looking at them with his big, round eyes (which wasn't because of shock, but more of inquisitiveness). He turned to his side, which was where Kyungsoo was. "What are you looking at, peasant?"

 

Kyungsoo had never been so insulted in his life. He was also furious. A ' _peasant_ '? He almost became a medicine student, he came from a respectable family, he’s a well-known honor student and this asshole had the audacity to call him a peasant? Right in this economy?

 

"Sorry, my cousin didn't mean it–" Jongin stepped forward to apologize but the smaller cut him.

 

"Yeah, and I don't care if you two are the princes of this country. I felt insulted that you called me 'peasant', when in fact, the tax I pay for probably shelters your ass. Excuse me, ungrateful bastards, I'm going to pay these," Kyungsoo raised his basket. "To make sure you're not going to starve for the next few years. Because of this 'cancerous meal' that will enter my stomach in a few moments, you can still pay electricity bills for your entertainment wing."

 

Kyungsoo sashayed towards the counter, where Jongdae had probably watched him through the CCTV placed next to him, and he hadn't probably heard Jongin muttering an apology. Jongdae started to ring his purchases as he snickered. Kyungsoo’s glare kind of shut him up, though. But he started a new conversation, because he isn’t the type to shut up, even for a second.

 

"The princes have been here an hour ago and they won't stop snickering at household items. I don't know what they're going to do with that, though, with the amount of maids they have at the palace."

 

"I hope it's the last time I encounter them and their egoistic asses," Kyungsoo prayed as a reply. Jongdae kept talking to him, slowing down the process of bagging Kyungsoo’s purchases. After paying and getting his change (and asking Jongdae for so many times to ‘hurry the fuck up’), he thanked his friend and walked out of the convenience store and ignored the guys outside. He put two and two, and realized that they were probably security guards for the two. He shivered slightly at the wind that slapped his face. That had made him walk faster so that he could surrender to the warm, cozy blankets in his unit.

 

He went back to his unit and put away the things he bought. Kyungsoo boiled water and opened the packet to cook his ramen. Five minutes later, he was slurping the familiar hot and spicy noodles. He savored the flavor, the cheese on top of the noodles salty against the spice.

 

Into the wee hours, Kyungsoo finished his work and slept in for a couple of hours. He went to his classes with only an ounce of sleep, but nonetheless his work was praised by his professor as an outstanding research. If only people knew how fueled he was after being infuriated by the princes themselves that night. He had a burning passion running in his veins against the princes, especially that they could do anything that they want, and get away with it.

 

He returned to his unit exhausted as he plopped face down on his bed and removed his shoes by only using his feet. He spent the day taking never ending classes and activities that he low-key enjoyed, feeling very much satisfied. He was so glad he never stuck at his parents' house to do their bidding, which was suffocating him to no end. He nearly ended up taking a medicine-related course, but he enrolled into a different department last minute.

 

His phone vibrated in his pants, against his crotch. He groaned, hastily fishing out his phone from his pocket. Without looking at the caller ID, he answered the call. "Hello?"

 

"Kyungsoo, I've been looking for you everywhere! Where the heck are you?" Jongdae's whiny voice rang into his ears, which momentarily made his ears go deaf. “I miss you!”

 

"What? I'm home," he replied, propping himself up using his left hand, which was holding his phone to his ear, while he rubbed his eyes with his free hand. Rolling to his side, he switched hands. Jongdae probably needed him to do something, because he’d never be this clingy (not that Jongdae didn’t cling to him like a koala) if there was no favor of him to ask.

 

"You're ditching your one and only friend out in a cold October night to warm yourself at home? How selfish!"

 

Kyungsoo rolled his eyes. "I get what you're trying to point, Jongdae. And you’re not my only friend. Where are you?"

 

"Lucky Wave," his friend cheekily replied. He told Jongdae to give him thirty minutes. He sat up and sighed heavily.

 

-

 

Loud music, blinding lights, alcoholic drinks, sober Jongdae and drunk Kyungsoo. The university student gave up his usual style of shabby, boy-next-door with a casual, handsome look. He was wearing a white printed tee under his black leather jacket, complimenting the ripped jeans and white sneakers he was wearing. His hair was swept upwards, giving him a manly look instead of the usual baby look he had.

 

Jongdae, who was sober enough after having a couple of drinks, was trying to stop Kyungsoo from dancing wildly among the crowd, as he might be easily recognized since most of the customers at Lucky Wave were also university students. Jongdae was told that his friend keeps a clean record for him not to lose his place at the Virgin Friends Club or whatever that club is.

 

"Kyungsoo. Hey, Soo," Jongdae slapped Kyungsoo's cheeks lightly to sober him up, or at least keep him awake because he keeps on closing his eyes and opening them wider every time. "Wanna go home?" Which translated to ‘You’re starting to look like shit.’

 

"Uh, no...?"

 

"Kyungsoo, you're drunk," Jongdae had regretted bringing Kyungsoo to Lucky Wave. He should be the one drunk, and his friend should be the sober one getting his ass to the curb outside.

 

"And you're handsome, my friend."

 

"Yes, I know. Now get up, stupid," Jongdae held Kyungsoo's arms and tried to make him stand up. He was successful, as he made Kyungsoo slump his arms over his shoulder.

 

October nights were ruthless as they went out of the club, the wind was calm but the air was cold. Jongdae dragged his friend across the street and to the bus stop, the asphalt rough under Kyungsoo's shoes. He propped the drunken student on the seat next to the supporting pole, and placed his head on it. Jongdae stretched his arm in an attempt to exercise it. Dragging his friend from the bar to his place would take him all night.

 

Waiting for the bus was an agonizing experience, in which Kyungsoo flailed his arms at random times or shouted random words at Jongdae. It was a good forty minutes before the bus came to their stop. As a good friend, Jongdae dragged Kyungsoo once again to get in the bus and paid for their fare.

 

The night that Jongdae spent was all about dragging Kyungsoo home and punching him in the stomach once for everything. He was supposed to be the one who was drunk, not Kyungsoo – that was the plan, his plan. He left a note, posted it on Kyungsoo's forehead and locked the door to his friend's unit.

 

He never got to tell Kyungsoo about his new crush, and he guessed it was to stay like that until he pried. And Kyungsoo never did.

 

He went down to the convenience store where he works. It was supposed to be his shift at the time so when he entered the store, a brown-haired guy named Byun Baekhyun was still manning the counter. Baekhyun stood a centimeter taller than him, and is kind of famous for his femme-like features—striking, slit-like almond eyes, button nose, and a rectangle-shaped smile. He attracts customers even if it's midnight.

 

"You're so late for your shift, Jongdae," Baekhyun said in a matter-of-factly tone. Jongdae rolled his eyes; Baekhyun really wants to get into his nerves, doesn’t he?

 

Baekhyun and Jongdae never really got along. They were supposed to be having the same shifts but the tension was so much suffocating than that of two lovers' sexual ones so their employer decided they could pick their time shift, in which Baekhyun picked the morning and he was left with the night shift.

 

They have the same personality—loud and energetic, the typical life and soul of the party that never shut up whenever and wherever. However, it is true that the same poles don't attract as they easily clash with each other. Having the same circle of friends (yes, also Kyungsoo), Baekhyun and Jongdae tend to make everything a competition between them.

 

"I don't actually care, but thanks for letting me know," Jongdae snapped. They glared at each other, as if trying to spark a fire between them. The entrance bell suddenly made a sound, which made them flinch and look toward the door.

 

"Your Highness!"

 

Expect Baekhyun to kiss His Highness' ass, of course, Jongdae thought to himself. Prince Sehun visiting their convenience store twice in a row?

 

Tonight, he hadn't brought his cousin, Jongin. He was alone but there were the same guards yesterday except that they were wearing really casual clothes now, and they were sitting under one of the canopy umbrellas with tables. The prince was sporting a dirty white t-shirt under an asparagus green bomber jacket, pairing it with beige pants and white sneakers. Sehun wore a brown cap that has ‘Brooklyn’ stitched on the front.

 

“I was looking for Gatorade,” Sehun said while looking around the store, pulling his cap lower and he started to wear his shades. Baekhyun attended to the prince wherever he went. It annoyed Jongdae to see Baekhyun following the prince like a lost pup but he disliked the prince too, so he ignored them and clocked in to start his shift. He spotted the two at the back, near the beverages, where Baekhyun was pointing at the Fiji water bottles along with the sparkling water. Jongdae snorted.

 

When the two came up to the front, Jongdae rang Sehun’s purchases. “Do you need a paper bag?”

 

Sehun raised his eyebrows.

 

“Your Highness?” Jongdae added in a dull tone. The prince smirked and answered ‘yes’, so Jongdae pulled out a brown paper bag from below the counter and put in the purchased goods, face burning. Along with the Gatorade he was looking for, he bought the water bottle Baekhyun was pointing at a while ago. The prince gave to the puppy-like, ass-kissing employee and headed out. He can imagine Baekhyun taking a snapshot of the water bottle to post on his Instagram just to brag about it. 

 

“I want to frame this day,” Baekhyun said in a giddy manner. Jongdae can only palm his face in embarrassment.

 

-

 

Two weeks later, Kyungsoo was running towards his building under a hoodie to avoid getting wet. It has been endlessly raining ever since he left the university. Fortunately he was already on the bus when it poured hard. He was shivering when he entered the lobby, where he greeted the receptionist and scurried to his unit. Kyungsoo took off his wet garments and changed into his warm, comfortable clothes, which are composed of black sweater and gray sweatpants.

 

“Fuck, not again,” he muttered under his breath. He ran out of ramen again – just when he was craving for one. He stared at the clock on his wall. It was around seven-thirty in the evening, still a bit early. _I can manage_.

 

He fished his wallet out of his bag and locked the door.

 

“Kyungsoo, my friend! I’m so glad you’re here, it felt like years since the last time I saw you,” Jongdae chirped as soon as he entered the familiar commercial space. “But please, dry your shoes first, I’ve been mopping since the storm started."

 

"It was just yesterday, though?" Kyungsoo answered as he shook off the water from his shoes against the dry mat by the entrance. Jongdae visited him (more like went up to his unit while he was in class. Kyungsoo had never screamed so loud in his life when Jongdae sneaked up to him in his very own bathroom.) He picked up a grocery basket and started weaving through the aisles for leisure, looking for something interesting to buy other than his ramen.

 

"Do you always forget to buy ramen before you run out of supplies?"

 

Kyungsoo stood frozen. Jongin was in front of him, like a regular customer, except that he was leaning forward and surprising Kyungsoo. He leaned back, and put his hands behind his back. Today, he was wearing a sleeveless undershirt, exposing his muscles. Kyungsoo gulped.

 

"P-Prince–"

 

"Stuttering now, are we? What happened to the sassy one two weeks ago?" Jongin smirked. That was when Kyungsoo regained his control over himself and his soft eyes turned one shade darker.

 

"Why do you even care? You’re not flustered around me now?"

 

"Ah, I have always been fascinated by how people can stomach food that can actually kill them," Jongin answered rather quickly. He turned around before Kyungsoo would notice the slight pink in his cheeks. Kyungsoo started to walk away from him without replying, but the prince started to walk with him, aisle to aisle.

 

"Don't you have anything better to do? Like getting out of this store before I actually–"

 

Darkness. Kyungsoo can still breathe, has his eyes open, and can actually hear that faint yelp and a manly scream of "Hyung!"

 

And to think that he had started to wonder where Jongin's egoistic brat of a cousin was.

 

Kyungsoo stretched his free hand to grope something solid to lead him near the door. He started to feel for the cold metal bar that was actually a part of the shelf in the aisle he was stuck with. And then he felt a tug on his hoodie.

 

"C-can I come with you? I really don't like being in the dark..." Jongin muttered. Is Kyungsoo turning deaf or he heard the prince muttering in a cute manner?

 

"Fine."

 

They walked through the aisle with Kyungsoo groping for anything solid and Jongin holding to the piece of fabric that was Kyungsoo's hoodie.

 

"Jongin-hyung, where are you?!" Sehun asked in a panic-stricken voice. He was in the aisle next to the two, which meant he was at least in the midpoint between Jongin and Kyungsoo, and Jongdae.

 

Speaking of Jongdae, he was constantly muttering about the sudden black out because it meant they couldn’t get out. The door of the convenience store was actually automatic, motion-censored but it won't work unless there is electricity. Unfortunately, the store's generator was not functioning at the moment.

 

Jongin asked Kyungsoo to turn to the next aisle so that they could get Sehun, and now they looked like they're playing train. Kyungsoo is at the front, Jongin still clutching a part of Kyungsoo's hoodie, and Sehun clinging to Jongin like a koala. Kyungsoo nearly tripped on an electric cord and the three nearly fell, but fortunately he had balanced himself before Sehun could breathe into saying a curse.

 

"Watch where you're fucking going, I don't want to bruise myself because of you," he arrogantly said.

 

"Shut the fuck up, or the both of you can stay in the middle of this aisle and scare yourselves to death."

 

“Yeah, Sehun. S-Shut up,” Jongin agreed, to which Sehun shot him a glare in the dark.

 

“So much for being my cousin,” Sehun muttered.

 

That shut up the prince because he stopped talking until they reached the counter.

 

"I just wanted a cup of ramen but here I have two idiots clinging to me..." Kyungsoo trailed off, muttering. He can make out Jongdae's silhouette at the counter, probably rummaging for the emergency kit. There was a click and a small light emanated from the flashlight held by Jongdae.

 

"Well, better than nothing," Jongdae shrugged. "The door's going to be stuck and unless electricity is back, we're also stuck here."

 

"What kind of convenience store is this?"

 

"Excuse me?" Jongdae suddenly perked up.

 

"There should be state-of-the-art facilities! Our bathroom is even better than this poorly structured infrastructure!" Sehun exclaimed, his hand still clinging on to Jongin's shoulders. He was immediately pointed at by the ray of Jongdae's flashlight, and somehow it illuminated Jongdae's face a bit darkly.

 

"Then why don't you shop at your bathroom? Why do you have to go down here, when your home is not even in the area?" Jongdae nodded towards Sehun, his eyebrows meeting in the middle and his usual curled smile into a terrible frown. He was heavily fuming, quite insulted because even though he doesn't own the convenience store, he still works in it and it also sounded like Sehun was bringing him down.

 

"Why, you—!" Sehun scrambled to lunge for Jongdae. Kyungsoo put his foot out causing Sehun to meet the floor face first. "Ow!"

 

Kyungsoo snickered.

 

"I'll have Mother shut this ugly convenience store in an instant!" Sehun tried to stand up, which was successful. He started to walk his way towards the counter, trying to follow the light Jongdae had.

“Oh, go on then, why don’t you? So now everyone knows how petty you could be when you don’t get what you want, huh?” Jongdae’s voice rose and Kyungsoo swore he saw a vein in Jongdae’s neck become visible through the moonlight. Jongdae tried not to strangle the prince in order to save their lives (in which Jongdae would probably go to jail and Sehun would probably be stuck in limbo or hell).

 

The four of them were on the counter, Jongdae and Kyungsoo seated together, while the two princes collected themselves. Good thing that there weren’t any paparazzi or candid photographers around because they are both stupid enough to sneak in the middle of the night. The palace security must have been alarmed already, and a rescue team on their way to look for the two bachelors.

 

Kyungsoo must’ve spaced out because Jongin kept on snapping his fingers and waving his hand in front of the former’s face. On the third time that Jongin waved his hand, Kyungsoo snapped out of his daze and looked at Jongin. “What’s the matter?”

 

He didn’t need an answer—Sehun and Jongdae were bickering once again. And it was over what to eat.

 

“We definitely should order pizza,” Sehun scoffed.

 

“Your Highness,” Jongdae breathed. “Can’t you understand that the door is not functioning? If we were able to make a delivery man pass through that door, we could’ve been on our separate ways already!”

 

“You’re right,” Sehun bended on the counter to put his hands on his chin and prop them on the counter, a tad closer to Jongdae. The latter sat straight and coughed, brought himself closer to Kyungsoo while his cheeks were faintly tinted pink. “But we should still get pizza. I don’t want ramen. We don’t even have hot water to begin with!”

 

It started Sehun and Jongdae’s endless bickering. Kyungsoo wanted to cut his ears off and throw it away but of course he wouldn’t, so he stood up and tapped Jongin’s shoulder, inviting him to come along.

 

“We should get them these and let them move on,” Kyungsoo took a couple of soju bottles by the neck and shoved them on Jongin’s chest. The bottles clinked but nonetheless never affected the bickering Sehun and Jongdae were having. Sehun has now added fried chicken to the argument and Jongdae wanted to bang his head on the cash register because it looks like Sehun hasn’t accepted the fact that they are stuck inside the convenience store and no one from either inside or outside can get through the door.

 

“Alcohol?”

 

“Yeah, I’ve heard somewhere that men arguing should get drunk, punch once, and get over it,” Kyungsoo replied. He hesitated to add but continued, “Unless your cousin isn’t a man?”

 

“Hmm, I don’t know what will happen but let’s take chances.”

 

Kyungsoo and Jongin went back to the counter with their arms full of bottled soju, and the former with different sizes of beer cans. They laid it out on the counter, which made the two other loud mouths stop and look at them.

 

Kyungsoo shrugged.

 

“Just drink it out like men, my friends.”

 

“Sehun pays if he gets drunk,” Jongin smirked.

-

 

“Sh—sherioushly…I shtill wunt pizza…” Sehun slurred. His head was spinning and he can’t make out what was the truth from fantasy already—there were suddenly two more Jongins on his left, and several more of Jongdae and Kyungsoo. “But…Kyungshoo…I shtill should punch…right…?”

 

“Yep, punch once and hug like nothing happened,” Kyungsoo answered as he downed another soju from the shot glass. It was already around eleven in the evening...or one in the morning, he can't remember because it has been hours since everybody's phones were dead and they were all idiots for not having any charger. The charging station wouldn't work because there was no electricity.

 

"We're going to die," Jongin whined awhile ago after being tipsy after he drank around two cans of beer and three soju shots. He was clinging to Kyungsoo more than he’d ever do to other people. It felt like it was something he lacked as a prince—the personal affection that everyone has, but because he’s supposed to be of royal blood, all he has is fake affection from the public.

 

Sehun stood up from the circle they’ve formed on the floor to approach Jongdae. Kyungsoo and Jongin scooted a little to give Sehun space to sit down next to his so-called enemy.

 

“H-hey! You’re too close!” Jongdae exclaimed. His face was red from either the alcohol intake or the sudden breach of intimate space. He was drunk, but he can still recognize what was happening. And he doesn’t know why he both liked and not liked what was happening at the same time.

 

“Just one punch,” Sehun said, his eyes turning into crescents from smiling as he fixed his stance and massaged his fist, whispering words of encouragement. Jongin and Kyungsoo fails to bite back their laughter and clings to the floor for some kind of support for their trembling bodies. "Here I go!" Sehun planted a punch on Jongdae's arms, and he thinks the latter worked out because it feels like he punched a metal. He fell towards Jongdae and he swore he never feels anything other than utmost irritation towards the employee but something tugs his gut and made Jongdae look so inviting.

 

"Okay, it's Jongdae's turn," Kyungsoo said, helping Jongin prop Sehun back in his seat. When he sits back, he notices Jongdae is one shade more redder than he was awhile ago. The latter faces Sehun and breathes deeply, staring into Sehun's eyes.

 

"Um, Kyungsoo, I don't think Jongdae follows. Why is he—," Jongin stopped in mid-sentence as the scene before him sinks in.

 

"I like you!" Jongdae surprisingly shrieked and had reached for Sehun's face, which looked like he was going to smash his head on the prince's, but the two audience were completely caught off-guard when Jongdae crashed his lips on Sehun's and was already eating the prince's face. Kyungsoo stood up and lunged for the two just in time before Jongdae and Sehun stripped themselves in front them and create a scene that neither Jongin nor Kyungsoo wanted to take part of.

 

"Hey, hey, I said punch, not kiss. Get off each other!"

 

Jongin stepped back. "What the fuck, were all of those bickering just _sexual_ tension?" He said, baffled. His cousin was just ranting about this convenience store employee ever since they met and now Sehun angrily responds to Jongdae and might or might not have aggressively clutched the latter's clothes to almost tear down.

 

***

 

Kyungsoo shot up first. His ears were ringing and he was really dizzy as if he slept with his head hanging on the edge of the bed. But there was no bed, they were all on the floor and he was using a single can of beer as his pillow, which was already crooked from the weight of his head.

 

Jongin was on his lap, sleeping like a dead log. Suddenly, Kyungsoo's lap felt dead and drained of blood. It was already numb from Jongin.

 

"God damn it," he groaned as he looked around. The storm was over, and the lights were back on. The sunlight was also grazing over the four of them, making Kyungsoo squint at the sudden intrusion of light on his view. He slowly removed himself from Jongin and carefully laid the prince's head on the floor, and poked Jongdae, who was hugging Sehun—who had hugged back—in his sleep.

 

It took a few more pokes for Jongdae to budge, and when he opened his eyes, Sehun's pointy noise and pink lips that was slightly ajar came into his view. Jongdae's eyes widened and he forcefully pushed Sehun away from him, waking him up in the process and kicking Jongin near his shin.

 

Now the four of them are awake.

 

"What the hell happened?" Jongin groggily asked, yawning. His eyes were still closed but nonetheless it didn't stop him from sitting in an Indian manner and shuffling his hair. Kyungsoo went slightly pink before standing up and murmuring to himself to get some coffee and to wake the hell up.

 

Kyungsoo definitely remembered spilling his life story to Jongin as they lie on their backs and stared at the ceiling.

 

Jongin was beyond confused, but stood up nonetheless. "I'm getting coffee, too," he announced before sauntering off after Kyungsoo.

 

That left Jongdae and Sehun that beside each other. There was an awkward silence, a few mutters from Kyungsoo and Jongin, and the coffee machine groaning to work. 

 

"Prince Sehun—Your Highness—ah fuck this," Jongdae mentally slapped himself. "About last night..."

 

Sehun's ears turned pink at the sudden mention of last night. He knew they were both drunk, but he can’t deny that he liked it, too. He cleared his throat and looked straight at Jongdae’s eyes. The latter seemed quite abashed and looked away, as if he was suddenly amazed by how he had stacked the rolls of tissue on an aisle.

 

“You.”

 

Jongdae was sure he’d be put to jail. Bad blood with the prince and then kissing him the next isn’t really the best idea out there. He thought of all the prayers he knew of and screamed it silently to whoever is listening.

 

But instead of rage in Sehun’s eyes, it was rather soft. There was no evidence that he was angry at what happened last night. The fact that he did like it—he might be growing a crush. And on Jongdae. Someone who isn’t a part of his world.

 

But someone he’d be willing to fight for.

 

“You better take responsibility of my first kiss,” Sehun said calmly. “Let’s date.”

 

“W-what? Sehun—I mean, Your Highness, are you possibly high? I can’t date you!”

 

“God, are you stupid? It’s already me who’s saying that we date! If I say let’s date, then we date, dumbass!”

 

“I haven’t even agreed to anything!”

 

“I didn’t even ask your permission,” Sehun raised his eyebrows, teasing. That shut the former up. He was right. Sehun didn’t even ask. He just said.

 

“Well?” 

 

“I hope South Korea won’t hang me for this.”

 

“Oh, they won’t, sweetheart,” Sehun assured him, smiling.

 

***

 

Two days and a couple of sickeningly sweet messages later, Jongdae became such a sweetheart to everyone from an annoying social butterfly. He was giving everyone a cheerful atmosphere, and it seemed to rub off on Kyungsoo too, who had just finished reviewing his notes for the midterm examination.

 

He yawned. It was already almost 2AM, and he had to wake up at 6AM for the first subject. The past days have been nerve-wracking for him, with what not exchanging numbers with the prince himself and getting a little bit flustered when he saw his nickname as ‘my spicy ramensoo’.

 

When the power was back on, Kyungsoo invited them to his unit (with Jongin and Sehun hiding like preys on the watch for their predators until they have reached the elevator. The concierge staff looked at Kyungsoo and his entourage weirdly, as they stood out like a sore thumb) and had them charge their phones, which pinged endlessly the moment it were brought back to life.

 

The royal security team found them all three hours later, huddled at the television, eating ramen. Jongdae, who was cuddling with Sehun, suddenly pushed the latter away and smacked him on the face, earning a disapproving look from the princes’ security. Jongin and Kyungsoo were a bit shy to show their budding romance, blushing madly as Kyungsoo was found slurping noodles, on the floor, in between Jongin’s legs, who was sitting on the sofa.

 

Kyungsoo chuckled a syllable at the thought, and he sure missed the prince. He closed his book and put it with his notes in his bag, then dived for his bed. As soon as his body had touched the bed, he immediately fell asleep, dreaming sickeningly sweet scenarios of him and Jongin together, at the mall, at the park, even at his own unit, doing provocative things.

 

He was near climax (in his dream, of course) when his phone went off.

 

“Damn it!” he reached for his phone on the nightstand next to his bed. He felt like he had only closed his eyes for a second and it’s already 6AM. There were slightly dark circles around his eyes, and Kyungsoo looked like he was ready to accept Death anytime that day like a good old friend. “Hello?”

 

“Sorry, did I wake you up?” There was a slight panic in what Kyungsoo recognized was the prince’s voice. He blinked and shook his head hard.

 

“Is this Jongin?” He put his phone away from his ear and looked at the caller ID. It was a private number, wherein there was actually no name and no number indicated. Just an anonymous icon to accompany the call.

 

“Yeah. Was I, uh, too early?”

 

“No, no, I just woke up, but you didn’t wake me up.”

 

“C-could you open the door? I brought breakfast.”

 

It wasn’t a breakfast Kyungsoo could call normal. It was a feast! He helped Jongin in spreading the food across the table, from the side dishes to the main course. Kyungsoo felt like Jongin brought a five-star full-course cuisine when they could’ve settled for bacon and eggs. Not that he was complaining, though.

 

“You could’ve told me you’re coming, you know,” Kyungsoo said as he drank hot chocolate. _Holy shit, it tastes like real chocolate_. “I can cook us a simple meal.”

 

Jongin looked away, muttering something along the lines of, “I wanted to impress you,” and “I thought you’d like it.”

 

“Do you not like it? I mean, I could ask our chefs to cook another meal or-or we could go out for lunch, I can reserve us a table for two, or we can fly to –“

 

“Hey. Your Highness,” Kyungsoo stopped Jongin before he could’ve probably spend money for him without even saying so. “Jongin, this is fine. I’m just overwhelmed at the amount of food at the table. We can eat this, and then order food or go out today. Let’s keep it simple, huh? I’ll skip classes for you.”

 

“O-okay…keep it simple, got it,” Jongin repeated.

 

“Don’t rub it in my face that you can afford this and I can’t,” Kyungsoo said. He realized that it probably came out the wrong way, and he quickly apologized. Jongin accepted it immediately and they continued eating breakfast together.

 

Three hours later, they in front of Kyungsoo’s laptop, shopping for clothes. Jongin told Kyungsoo that they couldn’t really go outside since he doesn’t really shop, and he was okay with it because he was more of a homeboy. They went into a shopping site that Jongin recommended, since that is where he usually bought his clothes.

 

“Uh, let’s find cheaper clothes. These are too expensive, and we can buy these for less even in Hongdae or Myeongdong,” basically Kyungsoo was teaching Jongin how not to spend money extravagantly, since the prince was into high fashion. Kyungsoo entered into a cheaper site and found clothes similar to Jongin’s taste.

 

“Wow…Kyungsoo, these are just like the clothes I buy,” Jongin’s voice was close to his ear, and he sounded pretty amazed. Kyungsoo feels kind of proud, like he introduced the prince to an alternate universe.

 

He turned to look at Jongin, who was coincidentally looking at him, too. Due to the sudden close proximity between them, Jongin felt hot and flustered. And he is sure it wasn’t because of his breath. He cleared his throat and removed his stare from Kyungsoo, gluing it to the laptop screen instead. He pointed at a random shirt, “I’m going to get that.”

 

He inched away from Kyungsoo and fanned himself, opening a button from his shirt. He had never felt so rattled in his whole life like this.

 

***

 

“Sehun?”

 

“Here, babe,” Sehun’s voice came from behind.

 

Jongdae was picked up by a common car (but was still owned by the royal family), and was dropped by near Lucky Wave. There was a small restaurant at the back that wasn’t much known, but the food is great (according to Jongdae, as he was the one to suggest it).

 

Sehun put his arm around Jongdae’s shoulders while walking towards the entrance.

 

“Why are we eating here? We have chefs in the palace that can cook anything you like,” the prince whined. Jongdae removed Sehun’s arms from his shoulders and dropped it.

 

“We’re eating here because I say so. Besides, Imo makes great food! I assure you we’ll come back here for more dates,” Jongdae walked through the door, which slightly creaked. Sehun judged the door with great scorn, like he didn’t want to come in. Jongdae pulled his hand and suddenly he was inside.

 

The smell was fantastic. Whether it was the pork cutlets, or the grilled meat, or even the stew made by Imo, the smell that wafted through Sehun’s nose smelled like heaven. He inhaled deeply, and then he swore he heard his boyfriend snicker.

 

“Imo, I’m back! Table for two, please. And the usual food, but double!”

 

They sat down at the table in the middle. The small restaurant was almost full, and the two of them are lucky to find the table empty. Once they settled, Sehun looked around, from the dainty pots of flowers that hung at one side, to the polaroid photos of customers that had enjoyed their time, everything looked simple and cute, yet by looking at the homey restaurant, he can tell that good memories happened in the place.

 

An old lady came up to them with two big bowls of steaming onmyeon. “Jongdae, dear, can you help me bring up the rest of your food?”

 

“Imo! Of course,” Jongdae said with a smile. He then turned to Sehun. “I’ll be back with more food, okay?”

 

Without waiting for an answer, he just stood up and followed Imo to the kitchen to bring back their food. Sehun stared at Jongdae’s back. He wondered how he had come to like this guy who bombarded his quiet lifestyle (except for the part that he’s the only one noisy) with his own whines and screams. And when Jongdae came back, smiling ear to ear, following Imo back to their table, he realized that Jongdae’s kind heart pulled him closer.

 

Suddenly, the quote ‘The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach,’ wasn’t applicable in their relationship. Jongdae can’t even cook for the sake of Pete, but he found his way through Sehun’s heart.

 

***

 

Four weeks later, and he hadn’t had even an ounce of news from Jongin. Sehun and Jongdae went on secret dates, but he didn’t see Jongin for four full weeks. He was envious at his friend because his prince showered him with much love and affection, but he doesn’t know if no news is good news for him.

 

He got up and made his bed, cooked breakfast for himself, dressed up for school, went to his classes, and was on the way home when he stopped by the university’s common hall. There was a commotion and everyone was either in hushed whispers or loudly chatting about it. Kyungsoo caught a few words that made him stop dead in his track, making a random sophomore girl bump him from behind. He bowed and apologized, but nonetheless, the color of his face was drained and he was already pale.

 

People were talking about him. No. They don’t know whom the princes were with. After being stuck at the convenience store, the royal security team attracted media and bystanders, and it was just unfortunate for the four of them to stare back at the media for full five seconds at Kyungsoo’s window, right at the side where the media were. Sehun was the first to react, turning the blinds closed so that the camera wouldn’t catch either of the two. 

 

He only heard that the prince was possibly dating, and whoever it is would be so damn lucky or was heading blindly towards beheading himself.

 

Kyungsoo chose the latter.

 

He started to walk, knees a little bit shaking, towards the bus stop. When he had settled at the seat right in the middle row, he opened his phone, receiving multiple missed calls from Jongin at different times, and a text that read, ‘don’t open ur social media n tv. i love u,’ which sent Kyungsoo fluttering butterflies in his stomach for a fleeting moment.

 

He sent an, ‘I love you,’ as if they were dating.

 

He sent it as if they were on constant contact for the past month.

 

He sent it like he was there when Kyungsoo felt like everything that happened four weeks ago was just a dream.

 

_Never mind_.

 

Automatically, though, Kyungsoo tapped his browser open, front-page loading. There was more news about what happened four weeks ago, as well as blurry photos of the four of them. People were also calling them names, especially since people knew that their area wasn’t where elites would really hang out. Netizens have been speculating on who Prince Jongin and Prince Sehun were with at the time that the heavy rains have made its landfall.

 

“Holy...”

 

One comment from an article came close with the user’s speculation that the royalties’ companions might be college students, and that they are most likely going to the university where Kyungsoo is enrolled, since it is the nearest university from the convenience store’s location.

 

He turned off his data, leaving his phone open for calls and messages instead. When he reached his stop, he walked to the convenience store, and he was so sure it was Jongdae’s shift, so he was surprised when Baekhyun greeted him instead.

 

“Where’s Jongdae?”

 

“He took a sick leave, didn’t you know? Our manager is angry because he wanted an indefinite leave but he has one week or he loses his job,” Baekhyun shrugged nonchalantly.

 

Kyungsoo’s mouth made an ‘O’. He bid Baekhyun good-bye and fished his phone to call Jongdae, but as soon as he unlocked his phone, it buzzed in his hands. He didn’t need to contact Jongdae anymore because he was already calling.

 

“Where are you?” Kyungsoo asked while walking. He greeted the security guard with a smile and a bow before going to the elevator. He thought of Jongin and his relationship with him. What exactly are they? They aren’t ‘dating’ like Sehun and Jongdae. They aren’t exactly friends, too. Are they acquaintances? When they started off in a not-so good conversation?

 

“Kyungsoo? Are you even listening?”

 

It seemed to snap Kyungsoo out of his trance, and he fixed the way he held his phone near his ear. He has reached his floor. “Yes, hello? I’m sorry, where were you again?”

 

“I said, I can’t tell you. Yet. But I’m not running around homeless. I’m trying to arrange my papers to leave as soon as I can—“

 

“Wait, what? You’re leaving? Where?” Kyungsoo demanded. He accidentally pushed the wrong number upon accessing his pin to open the door. He pushed the right numbers and the door clicked.

 

“Are you even listening to me? I told you I can’t tell you. Anyway, I heard and saw the news. Has Jongin contacted you?”

 

“Yeah, he sent me a text.”

 

“That’s it?” There was a hint of disbelief on Jongdae’s voice, making Kyungsoo raise his eyebrow.

 

“What do you mean, ‘that’s it’? 

 

“He didn’t send you anything? Like security to haul you away from home?”

 

“What? Are you at the palace?”

 

Kyungsoo was already confused. What the hell was really happening? He doesn’t know. Probably Sehun was the one who went to get Jongdae. His heart sank. Was Jongin’s message the last of it? Was the short ‘i love you’ a way of saying his good bye?

 

“Don’t tell me Jongin didn’t do anything. I’m going to beat the shit out of him. I was nearly broken in by paparazzi and the princes crazy fans.”

 

He didn’t realize that he sank on his couch, accidentally sitting on the remote. The television opened on the news channel, exactly by the time he heard Jongin’s voice.

 

_“…No, I’m not dating anyone. But there’s someone special. I think he’s watching this, so I’m going to say hi. I hope you’re fine, I’m going to get you soon_.”

 

“ _And that’s it for our interview with the prince. We were lucky to be entertained by the palace_ ,” the news anchor said, smiling. “ _On to other news…_ ”

 

“Jongdae, I think I have to get off the phone. Bye,” Kyungsoo dropped the call and turned off the television, ringing Jongin’s phone instead.

 

The prince answered at the first ring.

 

“Fuck you, where the hell are you and what the hell is happening? Live on TV? Are you insane?” He exhaled after realizing he didn’t breathe when he spouted words at the prince.

 

“Kyungsoo, calm the hell down. I’m at the palace, Jongdae’s here and Sehun’s trying to get you,” Jongin’s voice came through from the other line. 

 

“Exactly, Jongdae’s there! Are you going to - “ _drop me in midair_? Kyungsoo’s words got stuck on his throat. _Sehun’s trying to get you_.

 

“We’re meeting tonight, see you, love.”

 

-

 

Jongdae was left alone at Sehun’s room. He was sweating really hard awhile ago. He had met the queen and the king. Sehun’s freaking parents. No matter how much they were frightening when it comes to abiding laws and sentencing deaths around the country, Jongdae was surprised there was an ounce - no, there is really - kindness within them. Jongdae was welcomed warmly, the queen kissing him cheeks to cheeks, and the king greeting him formally.

 

Sehun also told him not to worry about meeting his parents, but it was his first time. What if he messed up and embarrassed himself during meals or while plainly moving. The queen and king might end up not liking him.

 

But then it was the opposite. The king cracked jokes, the queen cooked for the four of them, whipping up a carbonara out of nowhere when Jongdae accidentally blurted out that he loved the white spaghetti.

 

He was put out of his flashback when Kyungsoo rang him, but Kyungsoo dropped the call after. Probably, his friend contacted Jongin already. Earlier, Jongin had asked Sehun to bring his friend to the palace, too, but Kyungsoo was in class, that’s why Jongdae was the only one who was picked up. On the way to the palace, Sehun filled him up on what was happening in the palace, how stressed their publicist is because of the news that broke out. Jongdae was also told that they were going to fly to the Caribbean islands for a small vacation to refresh the four of them, because they might also be stressed out (and also, a gift from the queen and king).

 

Sehun bought their plane tickets and all Jongdae had to do was to pack up and say yes.

 

Now he’s daydreaming on the possibilities of being with Sehun, on the beach. Preferably topless.

 

_Ah, the possibilities are endless_ , he giggled.

 

There came a knock on the door, snapping Jongdae out of his fantasy.

 

“Yes?”

 

“Mr. Kim,” the assigned maid announced herself. “His Highness is requesting for your presence downstairs. He also said that Mr. Do is present.”

 

-

 

The four of them settled down that evening for dinner. The king and queen left them to themselves, having some political affairs to attend to. It was a bit quiet, Sehun and Jongdae playing footsie under the table while Jongin and Kyungsoo was having a stare down. But it was more of Kyungsoo staring at Jongin really hard while the latter had a face burning out of fluster, because he couldn’t look at Kyungsoo.

 

“You can’t even look at me,” Kyungsoo scoffed. Jongdae and Sehun stopped in midair, their feet retreating back to the home base. The air became stale and cold – just like the tuna sashimi on the table – and maybe a bit awkward if they won’t get along for the whole dinner.

 

Jongin didn’t budge; he didn’t even make a sound. He continued to eat like nothing was happening, like nothing was suffocating the four of them.

 

His silence was upsetting Kyungsoo more and more. His blood was boiling. Sure, Jongin really wanted to pick him up (according to Jongdae), and it was nobody’s fault because he was in class. But the silent treatment was beginning to bug Kyungsoo as soon as he step foot into the palace. A tour to their gigantic entertainment wing didn’t even compensate for what he was feeling.

 

“That’s it! If you’re not talking to me then I’m going home. I’m sure your special someone would arrive soon,” Kyungsoo stood up, his chair grazing the tiles and making a sound. He went up to his room (after getting lost and accidentally opening two random rooms before finding the right one), and started packing up the things he had started to unpack. Fortunately for him and unfortunately for others, he was only halfway finished unpacking so he easily stuffed his things and zipped his luggage again.

 

The door slammed open and Kyungsoo turned around, “I’m not in the fucking mood – “

 

Jongin held him in place and kissed him. It tasted of the medium rare steak Jongin was toying with, and a slight pang of hard alcohol. Was Jongin drinking clear alcohol and not water during dinner?

 

Suddenly, he was pinned down on the bed, Jongin not letting go of his lips until he gasped for air. “Jongin – “ the prince’s tongue slipped in his mouth.

 

Gasp.

 

“Is this what you want?”

 

Gasp.

 

“I’m giving it to you,” Jongin said in between the kisses.

 

Until Kyungsoo had the strength to push him back. “Jongin, fuck off! I never wanted this!”

 

That seemed to pull Jongin off on whatever he was on; the fire in his eyes suddenly died and was replaced with fear and utmost sorry. He was going to open his mouth when Kyungsoo raised his hand.

 

“No, Jongin. If you’re going to apologize then don’t. I’m sorry, I mean, what place do I even have in your heart? We aren’t even dating and I’m this upset that you won’t talk to me?” Kyungsoo chuckled darkly. “I didn’t even mean to be upset but I am? What a joke I must be.”

 

“Kyungsoo, stop.”

 

“Why would I, Jongin? I could go on a thousand reasons why my reactions are futile and stupid. Do you want me still? Do I even deserve you?”

 

“I said stop! Don’t hurt me verbally, please,” tears fell from Jongin’s eyes as he slumped back on the bed. “I’m sorry if you felt like I’ve abandoned the ship before it even sailed. I didn’t mean to do that. I-I – “

 

Jongin forgot to finish his sentence and resolved to sob. “I like you, I love you, I really do. It choked me to death that I didn’t do anything until Sehun snapped me out. What if what I did was overwhelming for you? What if you didn’t like it? These thoughts bugged me until I couldn’t do anything – even talk to you. And for that, I’m so sorry. I apologize.”

 

Kyungsoo sat properly, silent as he eyed Jongin. He knows that he has gone too far, stepped and crossed over the line. He could have admitted that he had no right to be upset that Jongin had done nothing. Jongin was trying his best. All for him, and most likely for the relationship they had yet to start.

 

“I’m sorry, too, I’m at fault here,” Kyungsoo reached for Jongin and hugged him, tears cascading down his cheeks. Jongin buried his face in Kyungsoo’s chest, his hiccups and sobs becoming more silent.

 

When Jongin’s tears stopped, they both lied on their backs on the bed, Kyungsoo running his hand through Jongin’s hair while humming softly and their feet are entangled together under the sheets.

 

Jongin suddenly turned his back on Kyungsoo.

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

“Nothing!” _We’re too close, this is too intimate, and my heart is suddenly beating fast._

 

He felt like that when they were stuck beside each other the first time when they were locked inside the convenience store.

 

And he’ll probably feel the same way for a very long time, with Kyungsoo by his side.


End file.
